Chinese city extends COVID-19 quarantine to 21 days as infections increase

BEIJING: China's port city Dalian has extended quarantine to 21 days for people who may have been exposed to the new coronavirus from 14 days previously, as it battles a rise in new infections and observes a long virus incubation period.

The city in the northeastern Liaoning province has reported a total of 50 confirmed COVID-19 patients since a recent outbreak started around mid-December, the city government said in a statement on Monday.

"Because of the long incubation period and rapid transmission speed... some cases didn't show positive result until 11 times of nucleic acid tests," Tang Yi, head of the Dalian civil affair bureau, said at a news briefing on Monday.


Tang said maintaining a 14-day home quarantine could bring some danger to epidemic control, as situations have become more complex.

The city is requiring people who pose a greater risk, such as those arriving from overseas and those who have visited venues linked to existing clusters or cases, to stay quarantined at designated facilities or at home for 21 days.

China's capital Beijing also recently extended the quarantine period for people arriving from abroad to 21 days.